Devotees throng Mahavir temple in Patna and (above) a procession in Patna City to celebrate Ram Navami on Friday. Pictures by Deepak Kumar and Sachin

Saffron flags fluttered in the air and religious songs greeted devotees who thronged Mahavir temple on Friday to offer puja on Ram Navami but the celebrations had a political tinge.

The half-a-kilometre stretch from Frazer Road to the Mahavir temple at Dakbungalow roundabout was decorated with flags and hoardings depicting Lord Ram and Hanuman. Devotional songs blared from loudspeakers. Even traffic signals were not spared: these, too, were embellished with festival colours.

Sources said BJP MLA Nitin Navin, who represents the Bankipore Assembly seat, had sponsored the decorations.

“We usually do not celebrate Ram Navami on such a big scale but the present political scenario in the state has forced us to make a statement through this festival,” said a senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be named.

Referring to the antagonism between the NDA partners — BJP and JD(U) — the leader said: “We chose Dakbungalow roundabout to display the flags and hoardings. It is the busiest traffic junction in the heart of the city and everyone passing through it today (Friday) will get to see our programme.”

Sources at the chief minister’s secretariat said MLA Navin had visited Nitish’s official residence, 1 Aney Marg, to request him to take part in a procession of Shri Ram Navami Sawat Samiti on Friday. But the chief minister declined because he was scheduled to be in Valmikinagar on the day of the festival.

A senior JD(U) leader said: “Nitishji could have cut short his visit and attended the BJP programme on Friday evening. The only reason he avoided taking part in the rally was because pictures of Narendra Modi could have been put up with the decorations.”

Till the filing of this report, Nitish was in West Champaran district, around 200km northwest of Patna.

After coming to power in 2007, Nitish had made it clear that Narendra Modi was not welcome in Bihar. Toeing his line, the BJP, too, had abstained from putting up pictures of the maverick politician at their events. But things have undergone a sea change now, with members of Nitish’s cabinet — animal and fish resources minister Giriraj Singh and deputy Sushil Kumar Modi — uninhibitedly flaunting their proximity to the Gujarat chief minister.

Asked about the flags and hoardings at Dakbungalow roundabout, Mahavir Sansthan Nyas Samiti secretary Acharya Kishore Kunal, who is also the chairman of Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, said: “People might think that we have put up the decorations but that’s not true.”

The political wrangling, however, failed to affect the devotion of the people, some of whom had lined up at the temple from midnight.

East Mandiri resident Sarvesh Kumar, who stood in the queue for five hours from 7am, said: “I have been visiting the temple every year on Ram Navami for the past seven years. I never miss it.”

Asked about the posters, he said: “It is quiet unusual. I don’t know what purpose they are serving.”